It seems that Shubhanshu Shukla will have to wait a little longer to make his trip to space. A problem which has persisted on the International Space Station (ISS) for a long time forced NASA to postpone Axiom Space’s private mission Axiom Mission 4 or Ax-4 last week.
In a statement, the agency said that the new air leak on Russia’s Zvezda service module needed repairs to ensure the astronauts aboard the station are safe and operations are normal.
“Cosmonauts aboard the space station recently performed inspections of the pressurized module’s interior surfaces, sealed some additional areas of interest, and measured the current leak rate. Following this effort, the segment now is holding pressure,” NASA stated.
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Axiom Space and NASA are now targeting June 19 as the next possible date for Ax-4’s launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. As part of the effort, four astronauts from the United States, India, Poland, and Hungary will undertake a 14-day mission to the ISS.
The Ax-4 mission is the latest in a series of crewed spaceflights launched in collaboration with NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. A joint initiative between Axiom Space and UAE-based Burjeel Holdings LLP is being hailed as a major step in advancing the management of chronic medical conditions both in space and on Earth.
“Previously, pressure in this area would have dropped. This could indicate the small leaks have been sealed. Teams are also considering the stable pressure could be the result of a small amount of air flowing into the transfer tunnel across the hatch seal from the main part of [the] space station,” the agency said in a statement on June 14.
“By changing pressure in the transfer tunnel and monitoring over time, teams are evaluating the condition of the transfer tunnel and the hatch seal between the space station and the back of Zvezda.”
While it’s not an immediate danger to the crew, it raises concerns about the station’s aging systems and long-term habitability.
As a result, NASA has indefinitely delayed the launch of Axiom Mission 4, a private astronaut mission. The delay allows engineers time to assess and manage the issue to ensure crew safety. It reflects broader concerns about the reliability of older space infrastructure and the risks of extended missions.